Andalucía

Andalucía

At the end of April, schools in Valencia enjoyed an almost two-week vacation that encompassed Easter and San Vicente Ferrer, whom I believe was the patron saint of the city. During those two weeks, a few other Fulbright girls and I launched our most ambitious travel plan yet: twelve days, five cities, three countries, four buses, three airplanes, five hostels, and one bag. And lots of good memories :)

The beach in Cádiz

A view of the Alhambra in Granada

We began our adventures in Sevilla, a city arguably most famous for its Easter processions. For the religious, it's a passionate display of faith; for Americans, it's eerily KKK-like. However, due to non-stop rain during the four days I was there, I did not get to see a single procession. Moreover, I tripped and hurt my knee, which made it difficult to walk. I did enjoy hanging out with the other girls, though, and I met some cool people in our hostel.

On the Saturday before Easter, I took a day trip to Cádiz, a city located on a tiny peninsula in southwestern Spain. Cádiz was founded before 1000 B.C., making it the oldest city in Spain, if not one of the oldest in Europe. It's a charming city, full of beautiful architecture and gorgeous beaches. Not unlike a lot of other Spanish cities.

After that we spent two night in Granada. The Alhambra is the city's most famous landmark, one of the oldest and largest Arabic palaces in Spain. Unfortunately, we discovered too late that all the tickets to enter the Alhambra were sold out more than two weeks before we went; however, we did get to walk around the extensive gardens outside the palace, and those were incredible. Possibly one of the most beautiful places I've seen in Spain. Another highlight in Granada was the tapas, or the food that is served with your drink. It turns out that my Easter dinner was eaten in a bar in Granada :)

And those were the three cities that I saw in the first five days of our trip. Stay tuned for details on the rest!